Now as most of you know who follow my blog, I am far from the perfect Mummy. I forget their school kits all the time, take them to school with their hair unbrushed or even worse uniform on inside out! It can be stressful trying to remember to do the mental checklist before you leave the house and those first days of school are harder. Because its the first day of school! 

Anxiety is filling your veins. The excitement is whirring through your head. That feeling of not being able to eat, or think about anything coherently. You are just so nervous to make a good first impression on their new teacher. And that’s just the Mums & Dads, well it was for us. Times that by 20 and that’s what the children feel. This is normal. 

Weeks leading up to their first days of school we had bouts of bedwetting. It was worrying the children so much that they couldn’t get through the night without weeing themselves. This happened with both our children, obviously at different times as they are a school year apart. I was washing bedding everyday, to try and keep up with it was really stressful. After the first day, that was it. It stopped. It went as quick as it started. This is normal. 

It was like they worried about it so much, that anxiety got the better of them. Until they realised what school was like. Realised that they loved it. Realised there was nothing to be anxious about. 

For me, by far, the biggest worry was that my child may not be liked. I remember playground “issues” all too well. Part of the reason I didn’t have many girl friends at school. I hated the competitiveness and the cattiness. I feel so sad thinking of my little ones going through anything like that. I want to make sure they have nice hair, they wear presentable clothes and have good shoes. I want that so that’s one less thing for them to be picked on. This is normal. 

So I sent them to school looking presentable. Ironed clothes. Shiny shoes. Brand new everything. Clearly, as you’ve not had to use it before. Noah’s first week at school I forgot his PE kit. Isla’s first week at school I forgot to write her name in her school shoes and 3 months later I discovered she had odd sized shoes! We all do it. We all forget something. Or make mistakes. This is normal. 

I didn’t feel “lost” like some of the other Mummy’s felt. I remember thinking, “am I weird?” as I stood in the playground with all these Mums crying, missing their child already. But I was so excited for my kiddies to get out there and learn. Education and independence are something I learnt quickly as a child and the thought of them being both educated and independent, really excites me. They are clever, they need stimulation. More than what they got from me at home. I am very grateful to their first teachers: they inspired and encouraged, whilst keeping discipline and order amongst the group. Not an easy thing to do as every child is different. This is normal. 

If you have a little one starting school for the first time this September, you might like to check out the M&S “Trust me I’m a teacher” campaign. They have gathered feedback from teachers to help put parents at ease. Just remember: no one is perfect. Parents or children. That’s what makes us unique! That’s what makes life fun. Remember, it is normal. You are normal. 

Enjoy your child’s first day of school, I would love to know what things are worrying you right now. Hopefully with 2 years experience, I can help put your mind at ease. One piece of advice: …just remember to get that all important school uniform snap! 

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